6th grade boy warning beachgoers of bonfire burns after accident

A sixth grader is kicking off his summer with an educational campaign after he suffered burns from a bonfire last year.

Last summer, a surprise for his grandfather at Red River beach in Harwich took a scary turn for the 10-year-old.

That September evening, the family was using a metal fire pit and moved it over on the ground --  leaving a scalding hot area of sand that Sawyer stepped right into.

"I thought he tripped on something," said his mother, Diane Nicholson. "So I took out my cell phone light and you could tell his feet were very badly burned."

The pain was excruciating, said Sawyer.

He was flown to a Boston area hospital with serious burns on the bottom of both feet.

Fortunately, both of his feet are fully healed, but Sawyer is now taking steps to warn others about what could happen with bonfires at the beach if you're not careful.

"Always mark the area so it doesn't happen again," he said. Another good idea, according to the 10-year-old, is to grab buckets of water and pour it onto the hot sand.

Sawyer has been working with the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Boston, who helped with his recovery, to make sure families take extra precautions with beach fires this summer season.

"He's a great kid. He just wants to take make sure others are safe," his mother said.

>>> Duxbury Beach reopened after reported shark sighting

Cox Media Group